Subsoiler



11/1ay2`,v1946.` c. 1 COQK y 2,401,139

SUBSOILER A Filed March so; 1944 IN VEN TOR.

CURTISS L. COOK Patented May 28, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEsUBsoILER Curtiss L. (look, Syracuse, N. Y., assigner to SyracuseChilled Plow Co., Inc., Syracuse, N. Y, a corporation of New YorkApplication March so, 1944, serial No 528,779

11 claims. (c1. 97-1183) The present invention relates generally toagricultural implements and more particularly to soil working tools. Y

The object and general nature of the present invention is the provisionof a new and improved subsoil plow r subsoil breaker especially adaptedfor general subsoil breakage but which is so constructed and arrangedthat the subsoiler point is releasable after contact with a stone orother obstruction in the ground, Heretofore, when operating with priorknown subsoilers, if the same should happen to become engaged under astone or other obstruction, it was frequently necessary to unhook thetractor and drive around to the rear of the subsoiler and hitch to therear end thereof in order to pull the subsoiler away from the.obstruction. The principal feature of the present invention lies intheprovisionof a subsoiler in which the subsoiler point is carried upon ashank that is pivoted to the frame 'or beam of the plow and normallyheldin operating position against rearward swinging by suitable latchmeans but in which provision is made for releasing the latch whenevernecessary so that the point may swing rearwardly away from theobstruction upon the further advance of the tool in a normal forwarddirection. This eliminates any necessity for unhitching the tractor anddriving around to the rear in order to pull the tool away from the,obstruction.

Another feature of the present invention is the provision of an improvedsubsoil plow in which the plow beam is madey up of a ground engagingmember that lies along the surface of the ground substantially entirelyfrom the front end of the beam to the portion thereof to which the shankis connected. This materially increases the shoe area that is in contactwith the ground and makes it possible to employ a tool of this type insofter ground than has heretofore been thought prac tical. Thisparticular construction not only provides decreased ground resistancebut it therefore permits subsoiling in wet spots` in fields whichotherwise could not be worked without danger of the entire machinebecoming mired.

It is an additional feature of the Ipresent invention to provide asubsoil plow or similar tool in which the tool itself can be releasedfrom the beam so as to permit passing over obstructions and the likeand, in addition, to provide such a construction so arranged that. thetool may be reset in operating position merely by backing the outfit.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will beapparent to those skilled in the art after aconsideration of thefollowing detailed description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing in which the preferred form of the invention hasbeen illustrated.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side view of a subsoil device in which the principles ofthe present invention have been incorporated.

Figure 2 is a plan View of the implement shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3--3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing the action of the toolu-pon release to permit the tool to pass over an obstruction.

Referring now more particularlyto Figures 1 and 2, the subsoil device isindicated in its entirety by the reference numeral I and is adapted tobe` connected to a tractor 2 or other source of power by means of adraft bar 3. The beam'of the plow I is indicated by the referencenumeral 5 and comprises a ground engaging plate 6 extending entirelyfrom the front end of the beam 5 to the rear end thereof, and a pair ofangles 'I and 8 secured, as by bolts 8', to the ground engaging plate B.The angles 'I and 8 and the ground engaging plate 6 are bent upwardly,as best shown in Figure 1, to provide a sled runner effect so as tofacilitate the passage of the beam over the ground. The draft bar 3 ispivotally connected to the forward ends of the angles 'I and 8 by meansof a draft bolt 9.

Secured to the rear portions of the angles 1 and 8 so as to form a partof the beam 5 is a pair of upwardly extending shank bracket plates IIand I2. Preferably, the lower edges of the bracket plates II and I2 arebolted, as at I3, to the vertical flanges of the angles 'I and 8 and aredisposed against the outer sides thereof, as best l shown in Figure 3.The upper portions of the bracket plates Il and I2 are reenforced byfiller plates I9 and are provided with a plurality of holes lli in anypair of which a bolt I5 may be disposed. The bolt I5 passes through anaperture in the upper end of a shank bar I, The

`shank bar t@ carries a subsoiler point I'I at its drain or mole openingin the soil below the surface thereof.

Immediately forward of the shank I6 a spacer 24 is disposed between theangles 'I and 8, the

Vspacer being apertured to receive attaching bolts,

preferably the same bolts I3 by which the bracket plates I I and I2 arefastened in place. A latch member 25, preferably consisting of a pair oflatch straps 2,5 and 2l, is formed with a nose or detent block 28 weldedto the front ends of the straps `26and 21, and the nose 29 of the block28 is adapted to engage the front end of the spacer 24. 'The rear endportions of the strapsr 25 and 21 are bent so as to be disposed againstone another at their rear ends. These ends are apertured to receive apivot bolt 3l or the like which connects the latch member 25 to a secondpair of straps 33 and 34 that are disposed on opposite sides of theshankand which are apertured to receive the bolt 3l and also a rear bolt 55or the like at the rear edge of the subsoil shank I6. Preferably, thebolt 3l receives a bushing 3l so that the bolt 3| may be drawn up tight,as desired, without interfering with the pivot connection between thelatch 25 and the attaching straps 33 and 35. Likewise, the bolt 35 maycarry a bushing 3S which normally engages the rear edge of the shank IB,and the straps y33 and 34 may loosely embrace the shank i6 in variousvertical positions relative thereto, depending upon the verticaladjustment of the shank I5 at its pivot i5.

Thus, the straps 33 and 34, together with' associated parts, constitutemeans by which the latch member 25 is pivotally connected with the shankI6 and which accommodates vertical adjustment of Vthe shank relative tothe beam.r Any other suitable means may be employed for pivotallyconnecting the rear end of the latch 25 to the shank I so as toaccommodate vertical adjustment of the latter relative to the frame 5and also the rearward swinging of the tool I6, I 'I (Figures l and 4) YIn the event the point I'I hooks under a stone ork other immovable orrelatitvely immovable obstruction in the ground, provision is made,according to the present invention, for manually releasing the latch 25from its engagement with thefront end of the spacer 24. To this end Iprovide a trip lever indicated in its entirety by the reference numeral45 and comprising a generally vertically and rearwardly extending bar 46welded or otherwise secured at its lower end to a bushing 41 mounted ona pin 48 carried by the vertical flanges of the angles l and 8. Securedto or forming a part of the bushing il and/or the bar d6 is a rearwardlyextending projection 4S adapted normally to underlie the nose portion 25of the latch 25. The parts are so constructed that normally theprojection 49 is held against the ground'engaging plate 6, as by a coilspring 5I. The upper end of the bar 136 is apertured to receive a cable52 so that, when necessary, the lever 45 may be rocked forwardly, ,thusraising the projection 49 and disengaging the nose 29 from the spacer24, whereupon the shank I6 and Vthe point Il are free to swingrearwardly about the pivot bolt I5. Since this rearward swingingmovement also results in the upward shifting of the point I7, it will beSeen that merely by releasing the sh'ank from the beam, the implementmay be automatically freed from obstructions that would yotherwiserequire the tool to be pulled rearwardly away from the obstructionbefore proceeding farther. After the obstruction has been passed theshank I6 may be reconnected with the beam I merely by backing the outt,whereupon th'e shank I6 will be swung downwardly and forwardly, relativeto the frame, into a position in which the nose 28 will again engage thefront end of the spacer 2d, thus locking the shank in position forresumed normal operation. As shown, the latch 25 normally drops intoengaged position under the action of gravity, but suitable spring meansmay be provided if desired to facilitate this action. Y

It is also important to note th'at by virtue of the ground engagingplate 6, the tool has extensive contact with the surface of the ground.In one preferred form of this invention the ground engaging shoe surfacethus provided amounted to approximately 500 square inches. By supportingthe tool with a surface of this extent, the tool of the presentinvention maybe used where the ground is very soft and/or wet, yet thesuck of the subsoiler point Il and the stresses incident to the breakingof the subsoil and working of the same will not cause the beam or thetool to mire down, as is frequently encountered when using conventionalsubsoilers under adverse soil conditions, such as those just described.

While I have shown and described above the preferred structure in whichthe principles of the present invention have been incorporated, it is,

to be understood that my invention is not to be limited to theparticular details shown and described, but that, in fact, widelydiiferent means may be employed in the practice of the broader aspectsof my invention.

What I claim, therefore, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A subsoil plow comprising a generally horizontal beam, a pair ofbracket plates iixed to said beam and extending generally upwardlytherefrom, a shank disposed between said plates and pivotally connectedat its upper end thereto, said shank extending downwardly between saidplates and below said beam, a point i'ixed to the lower end of saidshank, a latch bar pivotally connected with said shank adjacent saidbeam and engageable with' a portion of the latter for normally holdingsaid shank against rearward movement, and a trip lever pivoted to saidbeam and engageable with said latch bar for disengaging it from saidbeam portion.

2. A subsoil plow comprising a generally longitudinally extending beam,said beam including a pair of angles, a pair of bracket plates securedto said angles and extending upwardly therefrom, a shank having asubsoiler point fixed thereto at its lower end, means pivotallyconnecting said shank to said bracket plates, a link connected at itsrear end with said shank and extending forwardly along said beam, andmeans carried by said beam angles for releasably connecting the forwardend of said link thereto.

3. A subsoil plow comprising a generally longitudinally extending beam,said beam including a pair of angles and a ground engaging plate towhich said angles are secured, said plate having a slot at its rear end,a pair of bracket plates secured to said angles and extending upwardlytherefrom, a shank pivoted at its upper end to the upper ends of saidbracket plates and extending downwardly between the rear ends of saidangles and through said slot, a soil working point fixed to the lowerend of said shank, a spacer fixed to said angles between the latter andforward of said shank, and a latch pivoted to said shank and releasablyengaging said spacer for holdingY the shank against rearward movement.

4. The invention set forth in claim l3', further characterized by a triplever pivoted to said angles forward of said spacer and having a portionpivotally connected at its upper end thereto, said shank extendingdownwardly between said plates and below said beam, a point fixed to thelower end of said shank, a latch bar pivotally connected with said shankand extending forwardly between said bracket plates, and meansreleasably connecting the forward end of said latch bar I with the beam.

plates, whereby the depth of operation of said point may be variedwithout effecting the release of the shank from said spacer by theoperation of said trip lever.

6. A subsoil plow having a generally horizontally extending beam, ashank, means pivoting the upper end of said shank to said beam forrearward swinging movement, a ground working point fixed to the lowerend of said shank, means associated with said` pivoting means providingfor vertic-al adjustment of said shank relative to said beam, latchmeans separate from said pivoting and adjusting means and acting betweensaid shank and said beam for releasably holding the shank againstrearward swinging, and means.

connecting said latch with said shank to accommodate vertical adjustmentof the latter without changing the position of the latch relative tosaid beam.

'7. A subsoil plow comprising a generally horizontally extending beam, ashank carrying a ground working point fixed to the lower end thereof,means pivotally connecting said shank with said beam in differentvertical positions of the shank relative to the beam, a latch membercornprising a longitudinally extending part pivotally connected at itsrear end to said shank, and means on the beam for releasably connectingthe forward end of said part thereto.

8. A subsoil plow comprising a generally horizontal beam, a pair ofbracket plates xed to said beam and extending generally upwardlytherefrom, a shank disposed between said plates and 9. A subsoil plowcomprising a generally 1ongitudinally extending beam, said beamincluding a pair of angles and ground engaging means to which saidangles are secured, a pair of bracket plates secured to said angles andextending upwardly therefrom, a shank pivoted at its upper end to theupper ends of said bracket plates and `extending downwardly between therear ends of vsaidangles, a soil working point fixed to the lower end ofsaid shank, a spacer fixed to said angles between the latter and forwardof said shank, and a latch pivoted `to said shank and releasablyengaging said spacer fc-r holding the shank against rearward movement.

10. A subsoil plow comprising a generally longitudinally extending beam,said beam including a pair of angles and ground engaging means to whichsaid angles are secured, a pair of bracket plates secured to said anglesandV extending upwardly therefrom, a shank pivoted at its upper end tothe upper ends of said bracket plates and extending downwardly betweenthe rear ends of said angles, a soil working point xed to the lower endof said shank, a latch pivoted to said shank, and a part fixed to saidangles between the latter for releasably engaging the latch whereby thelatter serves to hold said shank against rearward movement.

11. The invention set forth inl daim 1o, further characterized by a triplever pivoted to said angles forward of said latch-receiving part andhaving a portion engageable with said latch for

